Memory Verse: Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should also walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

Last week we learned many things. What was one of them? (That we died with Christ; that we have an old man; that Jesus took who we used to be/ our old man and crucified him…)

We are learning the first 3 steps of the Six Steps to the Throne. Today we are going to read about being buried with Christ. The first 3 steps all have to do with the doing away of your Old Man. If you are a New Creation in Christ like the Bible says you are, then you need to know what happened to who you used to be. Because you cannot be both.

Last week someone said they had a bad part and a good part, and they were always fighting with each other. Does anyone remember what my answer was? How many believe they have a good part and a bad part?

Right now, before we go any farther, I want to tell each of you again, you do not have a good part and a bad part. There is not an angel on one shoulder and a devil on your other. A boy gave this illustration last week to describe his good part and bad part fighting. There is only Christ, and what He has done to make you righteous with Father God.

Jesus took all of mankind, all of the nature of Adam and crucified him. This is what he did FOR us. Jesus became our substitute in the flesh, and then He spiritually drew us into Himself so that when He was crucified, died and was buried, that was our Old Man being crucified, who died and was buried. That’s what Jesus did AS us. The New Man is what happened to us when Jesus was quickened, raised and seated with God our Father. We will learn about those steps later.

Remember last week, we talked about needing our minds renewed? This is what happens as you read your Bible, listen to your teachers and pastors, and spend time in prayer talking with God. All of these things will remind you that you are in Christ, a new creation, righteous and holy before God. But sometimes you start thinking you are bad, or not good enough..stuff like that. How many ever think thoughts like that?

When you think thoughts like that, you then begin to do the things that you believe. If you believe you are bad, you will be bad. If you believe you aren’t good enough to make an A on a test, well, you probably won’t. You see what I mean? That is why we need our minds renewed. Because Jesus took all of the bad things to the cross, and made us One with Him, and everything that Jesus is, is inside of us waiting for us to discover how much of Him belongs to us.

So let’s look at what the Bible says about sinning. Have a child read Romans 6:1-3

What is this Scripture saying? Does it say that because we are in Christ, it’s ok to sin? NO!! This Scripture says we are dead to sin. How were we baptized into Christ Jesus? Answer: When you accepted Jesus into your heart.

When you gave Jesus your heart, you were instantly- in the twinkling of an eye, baptized into Christ and that means the Old man in you died. And then what happened? Answer: All things became new! Remember, we read that Scripture last week?

I am going to paint you a picture of what happened so you can see it in your minds. How many remember where Jesus was buried?

W see here a man named Joseph, came and asked for Jesus’ body. Now Joseph had made his own tomb for when he would die. That tomb had been hewn out of a rock. But do you know where this tomb was? Read John19:41

The tomb was in a garden. Did you know the Bible tells us several times that we are the garden of God? Now we have a tomb that no man had ever been buried in. Where is your heart? Would you say that your heart is in the middle of your garden? Joseph made the choice to lay Jesus in his tomb. Raise your hands if you have accepted Jesus into your heart. Ok, so each of you made the choice to lay Jesus in your tomb. Joseph had wrapped Jesus’ body in clean linen. Do you know what that symbolizes? In the Bible linen means a covering that is very white.

That represents a righteous covering.

The righteousness of Jesus was put inside of you when you asked Jesus to come into your heart. Just like Joseph had hewn his tomb out of a rock, so your heart is hewn out of Christ, because Jesus is the Rock of our salvation.

Then what did Joseph do. He covered the tomb with a large stone. Did you know the Law of God was written on tablets of stone? God said He would write His laws on our hearts. Hebrews 8:10

Jesus fulfilled the Law of God when He was crucified. After 3 Days and nights, something happened in that tomb. Jesus was quickened and raised from the dead spirit, soul and body. And if we were in Him when He died and was buried, then would we have been with Him when he was quickened with new life? Yes!

In your heart when you asked Jesus to come in, you were quickened with new life and you became a New Creation. Your Old Man is dead and is buried. The Old Man did not come out of that tomb. Your New Man came out of that tomb. The New Man that lives inside of you.

So when you are tempted to sin, you need to remember that your Old Man is not only dead, He has been buried. He lives no more. The life you now live, you live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave Himself for you.

What did Oogene learn from his grandpa today? Answer: That being baptized represents being baptized into Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

Now we are going to get our hands dirty as so we can understand about being buried. Have a child read John 12:24

The Scripture here is talking about Jesus dying and being buried. When you read about wheat in the Bible, it is speaking about death. If Jesus had not died, He would always be, but we would not be with Him. We were dead spiritually because of what Adam did. But when Jesus died for us and as us, he made us become like Him. We become His many seeds. Do you understand? We are the fruit of Jesus.

Now everyone take a clay pot. Remember what Adam’s name means? Red dirt or red clay.

When you are done, go into the bathrooms and wash your hands. Come back and you may get your snack. Have a child pray over the snack.

The snack reminds us that Jesus is the corn of wheat that fell into the ground and died.

Everyone remember to put your pot somewhere that you’ll be able to read your memory verse everyday.